The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) National Executive Committee and the NDFP Negotiating Panel deeply mourn the untimely death of Ka Eduardo Serrano. We convey our most heartfelt condolences to his family, relatives, comrades and numerous friends.

Ka Eduardo Serrano served the Filipino people with his whole heart and soul as a revolutionary educator and organizer for many years. As an agriculture graduate of the University of the Philippines – Los Banos, he shared his agricultural expertise with the peasants in different regions of the country.

Ka Eduardo Serrano was a peace consultant covered by the safety and immunity guarantees under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). He was consulted by NDFP Negotiating Panel Member Fidel Agcaoili in 2004. Shortly after that consultation, he was arrested. The JASIG was forged by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in 1995.

However, the GRP under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the current Aquino regime have illegally denied him the safety and immunity guaranteed by the JASIG and detained him for a total of almost 12 years.

He struggled valiantly against his illegal detention. Assisted by his dedicated lawyers of the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), he won the dismissal of trumped up charges in two criminal cases filed against him. He was in the process of securing the dismissal of two other cases filed against him, when he suffered a heart attack on December 16, 2015. Still another heart attack on January 8, 2016 caused his untimely death.

During his many years of illegal detention, he maintained his revolutonary spirit. He kept uplifting the spirit of his family. He creatively made oregame for grandchildren and nephews and gave these also to kasama. He wrote poems to honor comrades who died. He cross-stitched in beautiful colors a piece of cloth with the word “freedom” in different languages, which was deeply appreciated by international friends. He wrote to his classmates at the University of the Philippines – Los Banos (UPLB) and communicated with solidarity friends abroad.

Everytime we in the NDFP Negotiating Panel visited him, he impressed us with his revolutionary optimism and conviction in the future of the Philippine liberation struggle. He was always a cheerful and caring kasama.

No wonder therefore that during his court hearings, numerous supporters from the provinces came to show support for him. When he was confined in hospital after his heart attack last month, friends and comrades came. They held protest actions in front of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), demanding his immediate release.

In stark contrast to Ka Eduardo Serrano’s caring spirit, the Aquino regime has been heartless. The NDFP Negotiating Panel’s strong proposal for the release of Ka Eduardo Serrano so that he could recuperate at home in the care of his family was ignored by the Aquino regime. Calls for his release and not be brought back to the harsh conditions of prison fell on deaf ears. At the hospital, four fully armed soldiers were put on guard just outside the Intensive Care Unit. At a later time, one of the soldiers even stayed inside the ICU.

The NDFP Executive Committee and Negotiating Panel render the highest tribute to Ka Eduardo Serrano as a revolutionary martyr and hero of the people. May his revolutionary spirit be a lasting source of inspiration and strength to all who fight and struggle for freedom, independence, and a just and lasting peace in our country.